Head of Paid Media

Leadly; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Structured onboarding and personal development plan

Monthly Good Vibes Day

Extra holidays for milestones

Work-from-anywhere flexibility

Team culture built on growth and fun

Job summary

A leading advertising services firm based in Manchester is seeking a Head of Paid Media to lead their team and drive performance across their paid media function. This role requires deep expertise in Google Ads and the ability to lead a team of Media Buyers. The ideal candidate will have a strong commercial mindset, excellent communication skills, and a people-first leadership style. The position offers hybrid working options and a culture focused on growth and accountability.

Qualifications

• Expertise in Google Ads (Search, Performance Max, YouTube, Display), with experience in Meta.
• Experience leading and developing a media buying team.
• Ability to connect spending to revenue and pipeline.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a team of Media Buyers.
• Set standards through QA and testing frameworks.
• Own paid media strategy and performance across accounts.
• Drive continuous improvement through testing and data analysis.
• Guide and audit campaigns as needed.
• Partner with various teams for full-funnel growth.
• Lead client strategy conversations.

Skills

Deep Google Ads expertise

Proven experience leading Media Buyers

Strong commercial mindset

Clear communication skills

People-first leadership style

Job description

Leadly Manchester, England, United Kingdom

Head of Paid Media

At Leadly, we build paid media machines that scale. We test fast, learn faster, and obsess over performance. No egos. No micromanagement. Just smart, driven people backed to do their best work.

We’re growing quickly and need a Head of Paid Media to own strategy, performance, and people across our paid function and help take it to the next level.

The Role

You’ll lead our paid media team, owning Google-first strategy across Search, Performance Max, YouTube, and Display, with Meta as a supporting channel. This is a senior leadership role for someone who is commercially sharp, brilliant with people, and still close enough to the platforms to know what great execution looks like.

You’ll be responsible for performance, quality, team development, and client outcomes.

What You’ll Do

• Lead, manage, and develop a team of Media Buyers (PDRs, coaching, performance).
• Set standards through QA, testing frameworks, and clear playbooks.
• Own paid media strategy, budgets, forecasts, and performance across accounts.
• Drive continuous improvement through structured testing and data-led decisions.
• Stay hands‑on enough to guide, review, and audit campaigns when needed.
• Partner with Creative, eCRM, and Client Services to deliver full-funnel growth.
• Lead client strategy conversations and act as a trusted senior advisor.

What You’ll Bring

• Deep Google Ads expertise (Search, PMax, YouTube, Display); Meta as a strong secondary channel.
• Proven experience leading and developing a team of Media Buyers.
• Strong commercial mindset — able to link spend to revenue and pipeline.
• Confident balancing strategy with hands‑on oversight.
• Clear communicator with strong client presence.
• High standards, strong ownership, and a people‑first leadership style.

Why Join Leadly?

• Hybrid working (Manchester office)
• Structured onboarding and personal development plan
• Monthly Good Vibes Day (paid wellness / growth day)
• Extra holidays for milestones + your birthday off
• Work‑from‑anywhere flexibility
• A team culture built on growth, accountability, and fun

If you want to lead, scale, and win with a high‑performing team — apply now.

Bring the ambition. We’ll bring the opportunity.

Referrals increase your chances of interviewing at Leadly by 2x

Seniority level

Director

Employment type

Full‑time

Job function

Marketing and Sales

Industries

Advertising Services